How Scotland’s film industry is losing out to competitors

IT was a rousing portrayal of William Wallace leading the Scots into battle against their English foes which led to a huge boost in tourism in Scotland.

But Braveheart also triggered much debate on the Scottish film industry, with most of the key battle scenes filmed in Ireland, thanks to the help of tax breaks and the use of members of the Irish Army reserves as extras.

Two decades on, there are still major concerns that Scotland is failing to fully capitalise on its potential as a destination for film production, despite the stunning locations it offers.

The creation of a film studio in Belfast – which Scotland still lacks – led to a huge boost for the film industry in Northern Ireland. One of its biggest successes has been the American TV fantasy drama Game of Thrones, which had originally considered filming in Scotland.

Other productions which Scotland has lost out on include the zombie blockbuster movie Generation Z, starring Scottish actor Dougray Scott. It reportedly went to Wales after failing to secure sufficient funding from Creative Scotland.

However there has been a flurry of films with links to Scotland in recent years, including Brad Pitt’s zombie movie World War Z which was shot in Glasgow in 2012 and the starring role of the Highlands as backdrop to James Bond box office hit Skyfall. American TV series Outlander, which has been described as Scotland’s answer to Game of Thrones, is being filmed at studios in Cumbernauld.